Stedman Sailor joined other members of the Aboriginal community in a smoking ceremony as part of Australia Day celebrations in Sydney yesterday. Photo / AP
Stedman Sailor joined other members of the Aboriginal community in a smoking ceremony as part of Australia Day celebrations in Sydney yesterday. Photo / AP
Tens of thousands turned out for "Invasion Day" protests across Australia yesterday with a collective cry to "change the date" in an unprecedented display of support for the movement calling for the country's national day to be moved.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said yesterday that he accepts there are some people who staunchly oppose the date of Australia Day, but insists the overall number is "not many". "You know, the overwhelming majority of Australians are celebrating Australia Day like we all are here today," he said on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra yesterday.
And to many, Australia Day, January 26, is a time to sink beers, take part in thong throwing competitions, release one's inner bogan and celebrate.
To others, it's "Invasion Day", the date that marks the arrival of the first British fleet in 1788 and the forced removal of thousands of indigenous Australians from their families and the massacres that ensued.
However, the growing momentum to "change the date" has never been more apparent than it was yesterday as huge crowds gathered in capital cities across the country.
Tens of thousands of protesters turned out for the marches in Sydney, Melbourne and beyond, in what was the biggest show of support for the movement seen to date.
Organisers of the Redfern Invasion Day rally said crowds had grown from just 300 in 2015 to thousands yesterday.
But while some called for a date all Australians would be happy with, others felt that was not possible under the current system of government.
Women dance as members of the Aboriginal community take part in a smoking ceremony as part of Australia Day celebrations in Sydney. Photo / AP
At the Invasion Day rally in Redfern, Sydney, Gavin Stanbrook from Gumbaynggirr country said: "There is no date that can be an alternative as a day of national unity. Aboriginal people have been ripped off and treated like scum and we will protest until we get our land back."
Ken Canning, from Fighting In Resistance Equally, said he hoped the Invasion Day rallies would draw attention to indigenous deaths in custody and was grateful for the support of non-Aboriginal Australians.
"The idea here is to engage the general public because our political spectrum around the country, except for maybe the Greens party ... ignore the calls of Aboriginal people," he said ahead of the march in Redfern.
Greens MP David Shoebridge said he supported the move to change the date. "Having the national day on this day is grossly disrespectful to our first peoples. Of course we should change the date to right historic wrongs," he said.
"But those historic workings continue today. Aboriginal people are the most imprisoned on the planet, that's not in the past, that's 2018."
Organisers of the Invasion Day rally in Melbourne said they were not campaigning to change the date but for Australia Day to be abolished.
Elder Tony Birch said the country was "not mature enough" to celebrate on any day, let alone January 26.
Members of the Aboriginal community dance as they take part in a smoking ceremony during Australia Day celebrations in Sydney. Photo / AP
"This country does not deserve a day of national celebration in any capacity," he said.
Marchers loudly chanted "always was, always will be Aboriginal land" before marching down Bourke St.
There were also marches and protests in smaller cities across the country.
Several hundred people gathered on the steps of Parliament House in Adelaide where Aboriginal elder Tauto Sansbury told the crowd that recognising the hurt caused by celebrating on the day must be the start of a wider conversation.
"People have said there's other issues to deal with. Well, no there's not," he said. "This is the first one that breaks down the barriers. Then we can move onto all of the other things that are not right for Aboriginal people."
Greens leader Richard Di Natale said there should be a conversation about choosing a new date.
"We need to have a process to acknowledge why January 26 is not that day and to come together as a nation to talk about our history, to understand it more, to finally heal and then to come together," he told reporters.
Turnbull, however, felt there was no real reason for change and that most Australians celebrate the day.
"They are just in love with our nation, with our story, with our people, with our success - the most successful multicultural society in the world," he said.
Welcoming a swag of migrants as Australian citizens on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin, Turnbull said the nation was united in its diversity.
He said Australia Day was a chance to celebrate the country as a land of opportunity, while recognising and celebrating the vital role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in shaping the country. "We honour their resilience and survival, respect and cherish their continuing contribution to our nation. It's a heritage of which we are proud and which we celebrate, it's uniquely Australian," he said.
"We haven't always recognised this truth as we should've done, but all of us, including our newest citizens, are heirs to this history, and it's our duty to learn, embrace, and help preserve it."
Among the new migrants was Anna Nursalim, originally from Indonesia, who became an Australian citizen with her three children.
"Since it's very special day, we're thinking to have the Australian way, by having a Vegemite toast," she said.
Almost 13,000 people became citizens in ceremonies across the country.
Not all Aboriginal Australians boycotted celebrations, with indigenous performers including the Koomurri Aboriginal Dancers and the Kari Singers opening festivities in Sydney.
The harbour was the focus of celebrations, including ferry races, an aquatic ballet and evening fireworks.
